How To Ask For A Raise The Right Way

DENVER (CBS4) – In the current economy most people are just grateful to have a job. Yet, despite layoffs and salary cuts many workers are still worthy of pay raises.

The question is what can someone do to convince their boss to increase their salary? There is a right and wrong way to ask for a raise, CBS4’s Suzanne McCarroll reports.

When someone goes into the boss’s office they should be prepared with a presentation on why they deserve a raise. It works well to highlight strengths, such as being a hybrid employee that’s strong in a variety of areas.

Also, employees should be prepared for what they will do if the boss says no. Some people fear getting fired, but employees can avoid such fears by knowing the facts.

“I think you have to look at the company. I think you really have to understand what the company’s financial situation is and if they are in a secure position, then you have an opportunity,” Sallie Burnett told McCarroll.

Burnett runs her own consulting firm and teaches business at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. She says employees need to do their homework before asking for more money.

First of all, Burnett suggests researching what others in the same position make. Two popular websites are payscale.com and getraised.com.

She recommends doing a realistic self assessment before asking for a raise. That would work as follows:

– Ask yourself if you’ve taken on more work in recent months.
– Are you able to provide evidence of your increased productivity?

CBS4's Suzanne McCarroll interviews Sally Burnett (credit: CBS)

Whatever an employee does, they should not get emotional when asking for a raise. Also, they shouldn’t mention financial problems in their personal life.

Attitude often translates into dollars, too.

“If I could work with somebody that’s kind of moody and difficult and a complainer, versus somebody that’s a go getter, somebody who gives 110 percent, then that’s going to go a long way. It’s going to go a long way to getting that raise and a long way toward promotions and advancement in that organization,” Burnett said.

The business-oriented social networking website LinkedIn recently crunched the numbers and found out that the months that most raises are handed out are January, June and July.